Port Bureau Updates

The Greater Houston Port Bureau will feature Per Sylvester Jensen, President and CEO of Nordic Tankers, as guest speaker at the July 14, 2016 Commerce Club Luncheon at Brady’s Landing. Jensen was appointed to his position in February 2014. Previously, he served as the CEO of Eitzen Chemical ASA and before that as its Chief Operating Officer. Earlier he served as the Managing Director of Clarkson Shipping Services USA Inc., in Houston, a company he started in 2002. Jensen has worked his entire career in the shipping industry, as Vice President of Odfjell Tankers and Odfjell Logistics USA for 5 years, with Frontline AB in Stockholm for 6 years, as Vice President of Bulk Trading Group and as broker and Director of Zachs Shipping Co. in Bergen. Beginning his career with Reksten Management in Bergen in the early 1980s, Jensen later moved to Jo Tankers in New York. He is a graduate of The University of Edinburgh in Scotland and holds a B.Com degree in Business.

Nordic Tankers safely transports specialized liquid products in bulk. Products range from edible oils, acids, chemicals and other specialized products to lubricating oils and petroleum products. The company’s large, modern fleet of sophisticated vessels services customers worldwide and offers flexibility and reliable service. Nordic Tankers has offices in strategic locations around the world, each location holding great competence for its specific trade areas.

Thank you for our Annual Sponsors: Houston Pilots, Richardson Companies, Odfjell, and West Gulf Maritime Association; and our Table Sponsors: Nordic Tankers. Register now by visiting www.txgurf.org/commerceclub or by calling the Port Bureau at (713) 678-4300.

Norton Lilly International will represent NYK Line’s Linden Pride as shipping agent in the first commercial vessel transit through the Expanded Panama Canal on June 27, 2016. A liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker, the Linden Pride vessel is 754.59 ft. in length and 120.08 ft. in beam. American Shipping Magazine quoted Joe Walden, Norton Lilly’s Vice President, Panama Office, as stating: “Norton Lilly has represented NYK at the Panama Canal for more than 65 years, and we are very proud that one of their vessels has secured the first booking slot for transit through the new Neopanamax locks. This is truly a historic event.” To date, the Panama Canal Authority reports that more than 100 Neopanamax ships have made commercial transit reservations for the new locks.

China COSCO Shipping won the draw for the transit through the Expanded Panama Canal during the waterway’s historic inauguration on Sunday, June 26, 2017. The shipping line’s container vessel, Andronikos, will make the transit.

Port of Houston Authority to host first Gulf Shipping Conference

The Port of Houston Authority announced on May 5, 2016, it has entered into a host port sponsorship agreement with The Journal of Commerce, an IHS company, for the 2016 JOC Gulf Shipping Conference. With the Panama Canal expansion underway, regional U.S. ports from Tampa, Fla. to Brownsville, Texas are striving to meet the growing demands and challenges of the shipping and freight business.

The Port of Houston Authority has been working to develop the annual conference with JOC Events, which produces the annual trans-Pacific maritime-focused TPM Conference in Long Beach, Calif. The 1.5-day seminar will be held on June 13-14, 2016, at the Houston Magnolia Hotel, and will highlight the Gulf Coast and its strategic importance to beneficial cargo owners, shippers and carriers. Sessions will focus on opportunities, advantages and efficiencies for moving containerized cargoes to Houston and other Gulf Coast ports. For more information about the JOC Gulf Shipping Conference, please visit http://events.joc.com/gulfshipping2016/.

House Transportation Committee and Senate EPW Committee Approve Water Resources Development Act 2016

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee unanimously approved the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) of 2016, HR 5303, on May 25, 2016. According to the Committee’s press release, the legislation maintains the bipartisan reforms included in the Water Resources Reform and Development Act of 2014.

“This bill is about strengthening our nation’s infrastructure so we can remain competitive. It’s about economic growth. It’s about jobs,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA). “Water resources infrastructure is fundamental to a sound economy, and WRDA 2016 gets Congress back to basics and the business of regularly addressing the needs of our ports, waterways, lock and dam systems, flood protection, and other infrastructure. This bill contains no earmarks, follows the process reforms established in the water resources bill two years ago, and maintains congressional oversight of Corps of Engineers’ work.”

The bill next goes to the House floor for a vote.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works (EPW) also passed its version of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA), S. 2848, out of committee on April 28, 2016. The legislation was reported out of committee by a vote of 19 to 1.

“This bill is not only fully paid for, it prioritizes projects to improve ports and waterways for increased global competitive advantage and supports needed flood control projects that protect millions of people and billions of dollars’ worth of infrastructure,” said U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), ranking member of the Senate EPW Committee, in a press release.

Among other provisions, the Water Resources Development Act of 2016 authorizes 25 critical Army Corps projects in 17 states. These projects, which have undergone Congressional scrutiny and have completed reports of the Chief of Engineers, are intended to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure to protect lives and property, restore vital ecosystems to preserve the country’s natural heritage, and maintain navigation routes for commerce and the movement of goods to keep the U.S. competitive in the global marketplace. Among the projects authorized is a navigation deepening project for Brazos Island Harbor in Brownsville, Texas. The WRDA bill awaits a vote on the Senate floor.